Meet Erin Berger | Realtor & Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Berger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, what matters most to you?
The value of relationships. Entrepreneurship and running a business can be an incredibly lonely road, that can only be made easier or harder by the people you surround yourself with. When I first started, the vast majority of my friends worked 9-5, W2 jobs and couldn’t understand why I decided to branch out on my own and leave the security of a paycheck behind. Starting your own business often means working 7 days a week, odd hours, and stress can easily mount during the start-up phase. I spent so much of my time networking (and still do to be honest), that naturally the consistent people in my life changed and morphed into other small business owners who not only supported me in my endeavors, but also became cheerleaders for my business as much as I became cheerleaders for them. Naturally, all of our businesses began to grow and expand. On a similar vein, the relationships I have with my clients is the key to success. Entrepreneurs who treat clients simply as a transaction might do well for themselves, but by not getting to know the clients on a deeper level, the quality of service will have a natural ceiling. Building quality relationships with clients, learning their kids names and birthdays, what their hobbies are, will all lead to a better overall transactional experience and will likely lead to more word-of-mouth business. In business, you need to know the ins and outs of your job and your role (on a very grainy, detailed level). But what’s most important is the people you choose to surround yourself with and the way you treat others in all aspects of your business. Those two things will take an average business and escalate it to a whole new level.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started off my career in IT for a local waste company after I graduated undergrad. As glamorous as the waste industry was, when I had my first daughter I realized just how much I didn’t love that particular line of work. But by that point I had extensive experience in project management & had enough experience in real estate that it was a natural transition to obtain my real estate license and launch my own thing. At first I kept my goals small because I had small kids at home and felt like I needed to be flexible. Over time, my natural habits of upping my goals took over and it very quickly became more than just a career. Since obtaining my initial license, I’ve been able to help people from all walks of life achieve their real estate portfolio goals, whether it was the first time home buyers, the land developers, or the new construction builders. Most recently, I passed my Texas Broker’s exam and now hold a broker’s license. but I also passed the Alabama broker’s exam as well as the Tennessee (this is the next phase of my business!).

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston is so big and offers so much – it’s really hard to squish the best of the city into a week! My personal favorite activities include catching shows at Theater Under the Stars and the Houston Zoo, and trivia at Nettbar Shady Acres on Tuesdays (Seth, the MC really makes the weekly event worth going back for). I’m a big wine fan, so hitting up either Nice Winery or Serca Wines would be at the top of the list as well, and Best Regards & I Know the Owner are some of my favorites for cocktails and aesthetics. As far as food goes, Bludorn & Jun are amazing for a really upscale vibe, and Stomping Grounds is a fabulous place to take the kids to run around and get ice cream (plus the little bar there has great drinks!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The Women of Wine Charities! This is an amazing group of women that I consider myself extremely fortunate to know and learn from. They are women mostly from the wine industry who banned together 17 years ago to raise funds solely for the Houston Area Women’s Center in support of domestic violence victims. To date, they have raised more than $850k for the Houston Area Women’s Center with the goal of hitting $1m by their 20th anniversary. Their fundraisers and contributions have helped domestic violence victims and their children with safe havens and resources to get back on their feet after leaving unsafe situations. They are an amazing group and deserve all the shoutouts I can muster!

Website: https://www.erinbrealty.com

Instagram: erinberger_realtor